This original geocaching is offered to you by Balkan Hotspot, a non lucrative organisation. This project is part of a project to discover volunteering by getting to know our volunteers thanks to geocaching. Each cache represents one volunteer : The localisation is related to them and the text will present them.
Let’s begin the volunteer hunt !
My name is Maya, I’m 19 years old and I came from Germany, in a small village in the South of the country. I'm a volunteer at an organisation called “Ecological movement of Thessaloniki”. It's a big organisation with differents NGO, and I’m working in “Ekopolis” where I help in clothes distribution, and on saturday we take the leftovers from the market to cook a meal for refugees. And I also work in a refugee center called “Aikoni” where we distribute clothes from donations.
After I quit my studies in Germany, I wanted to go abroad for a year. It was kind of my plan after I graduated high school, so I’ve chosen to be a long term volunteer. I’ve almost a year to decide what I will study when I come back, I will stay here for 8 month.
I’ve kind of found my project by accident, I saw the website of the project thanks to the European Solidarity Corps website. I thought that it’s perfect for me because I will work directly with the refugees and do some activism. I wanted to change the world after my graduation and I understand that’s not easy but I still can participate, help in these fields.
These experiences have already changed my view of the world, and I've been here for just 2 month. I’m friends with refugees, I’m doing marathon and talk with them. And, I’ve learn so many things on different domains, like about the LGBTQI+ rights, environnements, Roman community thanks to these experience ! Being a volunteer abroad, is like being on vacation but still working and doing something.
For sure, I’m gonna stay a few weeks in Greece at the end of my project. There are a lot of things to do here. I enjoy going to the uppertown to see the sunset, and I’ve discovered a beautiful church there. But there is the sea, the small streets, the market, the park near the White Tower...
I always look people in the eyes, I remember very well the colors of people’s eyes. So, if I met you I will probably remember your eyes. This is one of my particularity.